Performer's leaps and turns make 'Riverdance' costume job a kick

Chances are when you're watching "Riverdance" you never worry about those Irish dancers splitting a seam or popping a button during all that kicking and leaping - and chances are the dancers don't, either.

That's because Mundelein resident Brigid Ann Brown does the worrying for everyone.

She's the costume supervisor for the current tour of "Riverdance," coming to Rosemont next week, and she has her hands full.

"There are about 50 people in the cast, and they wear multiple costumes," Brown says.

And every day, Brown and her assistant inspect them all. They arrive at the theater an hour and a half before curtain time to make sure everything is clean and in good repair.

"We have to make sure all the suspender buttons are on right," Brown says. "We makes sure everything is clean. We make sure everything is where is should be for the dancers when the show starts."

Then the show starts, and Brown's work really begins. "My assistant is with the dancers on stage," Brown says. Standing in the wings, the assistant helps dancers get dressed for the next dance. Brown handles emergency fixes - the quick repairs, the sudden need to find the spare shoes, the extra ribbon.

On a touring show like this one, the job is a little tougher.

"Part of my job is to make sure we have all the supplies we need at all times," Brown says. "We are on the road and you can't count on finding supplies you need when you need them. So I stock up on ribbons and other supplies."

How did Brown end up in this line of work? Like a lot of theater people, she began wanting to be an actor.

"I acted in some shows in college," Brown says. "But my work-study job was to work backstage. I got a job in the costume shop and once I started working with costumes I knew that's where I belonged."

"I should have known that is where my interest was," Brown says. "When I was a little girl I didn't play with my Barbie, I only cared about what she was wearing. Once I dressed her up I was done."

After college she was hired immediately by the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, which is known for elaborate and frequent costume changes. If you can make it there, you can, well, you know how the song goes.

Brown has since proven she can handle any wardrobe situation. In her career, Brown has worked in a wide variety of performance settings, both for theaters and dance companies.

In her last job she worked in the costume department for Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, but she has also worked for the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

"Working for Hubbard Street was invaluable in terms of preparing me for Riverdance, because dance costumes are very different from theatrical costumes. They have to withstand more stress," she said.

"The costumes for Riverdance are extremely well designed."

Brown should know. Her job depends on it.

Riverdance runs Thursday, March 19, through Sunday, March 22, at the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont. For tickets go to www.rosemonttheatre.com.